Biographies
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Alan Barrell has spent almost 30 years in senior executive positions in technology based industries and has become one of Cambridge's most articulate promoters of entrepreneurship. He is a founder shareholder in Library House, Entrepreneur in Residence at the University's Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning and Visiting Professor of Enterprise at the University of Bedfordshire School of Graduate Business Studies. He is Visiting Professor at Xiamen University in China and Senior Enterprise Fellow, University of Essex. Recently appointed as International Fellow, Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, he is also Chairman of Health Enterprise East Ltd, an organisation seeking to exploit innovative inventions, processes and procedures in the National Health Service within the Eastern Region.
Following a scientific training, he worked around the world with Baxter Healthcare and was its Chief Executive for six years. Subsequently, he joined Domino Printing Sciences as Managing Director, following which, after six years, he joined Willett International, an industrial electronics company, and was its CEO, building its international business into a major success.
He was instrumental in launching the Cambridge Gateway Fund to fund early stage technology businesses in the region and is involved with a number of charities including the Papworth Trust, the RSA, the Centre for Tomorrow's Company and The Prince's Trust. He has also chaired the Cambridge Enterprise Conference and works closely with a number of Science Parks and Innovation Centres in Cambridge, elsewhere in the UK and overseas. He received The Queen's Award in 2006 for Enterprise Promotion.
Alan’s IGNITE Profile – Summer 2009 (Download PDF)
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Alan Barrell has spent almost 30 years in senior executive positions in technology based industries and has become one of Cambridge's most articulate promoters of entrepreneurship. He was a founder shareholder in Library House Ltd, and is now Entrepreneur in Residence at the University's Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning and Visiting Professor of Enterprise at the University of Bedfordshire School of Graduate Business Studies. He is also Distinguished Guest Professor at Xiamen University, Visiting Professor at Shanghai College of Science and Technology and at the Fujian International School of Economics and Business, Fuzhou, all in China. He has taught at Tsinghua University Beijing and Minjiang University, Fuzhou City. His interest in China, its history, people and culture has become a major feature of his life and work. Other appointments include Senior Enterprise Fellow, University of Essex, International Fellow, Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge, and International Fellow, Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki.
He has been Chairman of Health Enterprise East Ltd, an organisation seeking to exploit innovative inventions, processes and procedures in the National Health Service within the Eastern Region since it was set up five years ago. Following a scientific training and six years working in clinical laboratory medicine in the NHS at the start of his career, he worked around the world with Baxter Healthcare and was its UK Chief Executive for six years. Subsequently, he joined Domino Printing Sciences plc as Managing Director. Domino became a public company and now has a market capitalization of more than Euros half a billion. Following six years with Domino, he joined Willett International Group, an industrial electronics company, and was its CEO, building its global business into a major success.
He was then instrumental in launching the Cambridge Gateway Fund, a 70 millions Euros fund, to support early stage technology businesses in the region and became its Managing Partner, and has been involved with a number of charities including the Papworth Trust, the Royal Society of Arts, the Centre for Tomorrow's Company and The Prince's Trust. He is currently International Advisor to Youth Business China.
He has also chaired the Cambridge Enterprise Conference and works closely with a number of Science Parks and Innovation Centres in Cambridge, elsewhere in the UK and overseas. He received The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion in 2006.
Most recently, Alan has become Chairman of Eagle Genomics Ltd, and Pneumacare Ltd., and a Director of Probe Scientific Ltd. All are entrepreneurial early stage Life Science Companies. He is a Director of two Chinese Companies – Golden Bough Intellectual property Company and Oriental Investments Ltd.
In October 2009 The Regional Strategic Health Authority for the East of England appointed Alan Chairman of the NHS Innovation Council and in November he accepted an invitation to act as Chairman of the External Advisory Board of NACUE – the National Consortium of University Enterprise Associations.
Alan is a member of Cambridge Angels and Sophia Business Angels ( France ) and advises numerous early stage companies internationally.
